Author

Josh Shank

Stock is not always a bad idea, but it is like a gun. If you don’t know how to use it, you will likely injure someone with it.

Begin with the end in mind

Throughout this series, we are going to delve into the world of getting the word out. Hype can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on whether the hype matches the experience. If the hype does match the actual, we love it. It is exciting. It is magnetic. It gives momentum. If the experience does not match the hype, we will be ridiculed or worse… ignored. If we are going to be taken seriously, we must be absolutely sure that we make good on what we promise. Most organizations don’t intentionally set out to communicate falsehoods about the nature of their organization, it just happens naturally because they don’t properly consider what it is that they are communicating. A classic example of this is a church marketing themselves as their favorite celebrity church. When this happens, the church comes across as pathetic instead of authentic.

Here are 3 starter tips that can help you build the right hype.

Find a killer photographer. Do whatever you can to connect with a good photographer. Begin to build a library of photos that tell the ACTUAL story of the church. This is so important because photos are a dead give away to authenticity. Stock is not always a bad idea, but it is like a gun. If you don’t know how to use it, you will likely injure someone with it.

Know your brand. Every organization has a brand. That might not sound spiritual, but it is the truth. Brand is perception. It is not what you want people to perceive, but what they actually perceive. Businesses spend millions of dollars finding out what people think of them. The cheap solution is to simply ask. However, when you ask, do it in such a way that you allow them to tell you the truth. The truth is always difficult to come by, so treat it like middle school. Have your best friend ask for you.

Create a communication strategy. You have two options with a communication strategy. You can either be proactive or reactive. You can set the conversation and lead the discussion or you can play catch up when you realize that the vision is being missed. There is much to say about this, but first you need to simply be aware that you need one.